Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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CHILD SEE1T
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a child seat and more particularly, to
a frame for a child
seat.
DISCUSSION OF THE RELATED ART
[0002] Conventional child seats include features such as backrests that can
recline and folding seat
frames. A folding seat frame provides a user with a seat which may be
collapsed for transport or
storage. The frame structure must be strong enough to adequately support a
child, as well as be easy
to fold and unfold without the use of tools. Many known seat frame structures
employ a complicated
linlcage system. Such seats are bulky, unnecessarily complicated to operate
and costly to produce
and ship.
[0003] Also, the construction of conventional seat frames prevents the frame
from folding
substantially flat. The latter concern relates to the packing size for the
seat. Packing~size is
important as it affects the costs for shipment.
(0004] In view of these and other drawbacks and limitations in the prior art,
there exists a need for
a child seat that can be folded into a compact configuration, both in the
context of an end user's
desire for a child seat that may be easily collapsed for storage and transport
and for reducing
shipping costs.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
(0005] Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a child seat that
substantially obviates one
or more of the problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related
art.
[0006] An obj ect of the present invention is to provide a child seat that has
a simple, lightweight
folding frame.
[0007] Another obj ect of the present invention is to provide a child seat
that has a minimum
packing size.
[000] Another object of the present invention is to provide a child seat that
is simple to operate
and reduces manufacturing and shipping costs.
[0009] Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth
in the description
which follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be
learned by practice of the
invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention will be
realized and attained by the
SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE 26)
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structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims
hereof as well as the appended
drawings.
[0010] A frame assembly of one embodiment of a child seat includes an upper
member including
left and right ends, a left and right hub assembly, each of the hub assemblies
including a first
housing coupled to the left and right ends and a second housing, a lower frame
including left and
right members having respective forward and rearward ends, wherein the forward
ends are
connected to the second receptacles when the frame assembly is in the
assembled configuration and
wherein at least one of the forward ends is disconnected from a respective
second receptacle when
the frame assembly is in the disassembled configuration, and a pivot
connecting the rearward ends,
wherein when the frame assembly is in the disassembled configuration, at least
one of the left and
right members are rotatable about the pivot so as to allow the at least one of
the left and right
members to be positionable between a first and second angular position
relative to the other.
[0011] In another embodiment, a frame assembly includes an upper frame
including left and right
ends, a lower frame including left and right members each having a forwardly
extending first
section, each of the first sections having a forward end, wherein the forward
ends are connected to
the left and right ends, respectively, when the frame assembly is in the
assembled configuration and
wherein at least one of the forward ends is disconnected from the respective
left and right ends when
the frame assembly is in the disassembled configuration; and a second section
extending rearwardly
from each of the first sections, the second sections being connected to each
other by a coupling that
permits relative motion between the left and right members such that the left
and right members are
positionable between a first orientation wherein at least the left and right
forward ends axe positioned
at a first distance from each other and a second orientation wherein the at
least the left and right
forward ends are positioned at a second distance from each other, the first
distance being greater
than the second distance, wherein when the frame assembly is in the assembled
configuration, the
forward ends are positioned at the first distance from each other and wherein
when the frame
assembly is in the disassembled configuration, the forward ends are positioned
at the second distance
from each other.
[0012] In another embodiment, a child seat includes a first frame including a
seat back portion and
left and right ends, a bend formed between the seat back portion and each of
the left and right ends
and a second frame having left and right ends coupled to the first frame at a
position located along a
respective one of the bends.
[0013] In another embodiment, a method for assembly of a child's seat by a
consumer includes the
steps of providing an upper frame including a seating area and left and right
seat support ends
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extending forwardly and downwardly therefrom, providing a lower frame coupling
at the left and
right seat support ends, the lower frame coupling including left and right
lower frame housings,
providing a lower frame portion including left and right ground-engaging frame
members each
having forward and rearward ends, providing a pivot connection connecting the
rearward ends of the
frame members at the rearward ends thereof, rotating the frame members about
the rearward ends so
as to position the forward ends from a disassembled, proximal position to a
deployed distal position
with respect to each other, coupling the lower frame to the upper frame by
inserting the forward ends
into the left and right lower frame housings, rotating the lower frame
coupling relative to the upper
frame coupling so as to configure the seat from a folded to a deployed
position.
[0014] It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and
the following detailed
description are exemplary and explanatory only and are intended to provide
further explanation of
the invention as claimed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further
understanding of the
invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification,
illustrate embodiments of
the invention and together with the description serve to explain the
principles of the invention. In
the drawings:
[0016] Fig. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a child seat according to a
preferred embodiment of
the invention;
[0017] Fig. 2 shows a side view of the frame of the child seat of Fig.l, where
the frame is in a
folded position;
[0018] Fig. 3 shows a perspective view of the frame of the child seat of Fig.
1;
[0019] Fig. 4 shows a front view of the frame of the child seat of Fig. 3;
[0020] Fig. 5 shows a portion of the lower frame of the child seat of Fig. 3
in a folded position;
[0021] Fig. 6 shows a portion of the lower frame of the child seat of Fig. 3
in a deployed position;
[0022] Fig. 7 is an exploded view of a hub assembly of the frame of Fig. 3;
[0023] Fig 8 is a top view of a first component of the hub assembly of Fig 5;
[0024] Fig. 9 is a top view of a second component of the hub assembly of Fig
5;
[0025] Fig. 10 is a top view of a third component of the hub assembly of Fig
5;
[0026] Fig 11 is a first enlarged view of a portion of the frame of Fig. 3;
and
[0027] Fig 12 is a second enlarged view of a portion of the frame of Fig. 3.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
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[0028] Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of
the present
invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
[0029] Figs. 1 and 3 illustrate a preferred embodiment of the child seat of
the invention. In this
embodiment, the child seat is configured as a child bouncer 10. A frame
assembly 12 supports soft
goods 14 that can include a canopy 16. The soft goods 14 provides a child
seating area. Other
options for the child bouncer include a harness 18 to secure the child in the
child bouncer 10, a
vibrator 20 and a toy bar 22. Fig. 2 shows frame assembly 12 in its folded
state.
[0030] Referring to Figs. 2 and 3, the frame assembly 12 includes an upper
frame 24 pivotally
connected to a lower frame 26. Preferably, a pair of hub assemblies 28, 30 are
used to connect upper
and lower frames 24, 26. An intermediate frame 32 is pivotally connected to
the upper frame 24 at
bends 34, 36. These pivotal connections support intermediate frame 32 in its
deployed position and
permit the frame assembly 12 to fold substantially flat, as shown in Fig. 2.
(0031] In the preferred embodiment, the upper, lower and intermediate frames
24, 26, 32 are
formed from wire form stocle and the hub assemblies 28, 30 are molded from
plastic. Each frame
24, 26, 32 may be formed from another suitable material.
[0032] Figs. 3 and 4 best show the overall features of the frame assembly 12.
The upper frame 24
includes a seat back portion 38 connected to left and right ends 40, 42 by the
respective bends 34,
36. The seat back portion 38 supports the majority of the soft goods 14 and
the intermediate frame
32 supports the seat bottom and footrest areas of the soft goods 14. The hub
assemblies 28, 30 can
be constructed to permit positioning of the seat back portion 38 in a
plurality of reclined positions.
(0033] First receptacles 44, 46 of the hub assemblies 28, 30 receive the left
and right ends 40, 42 of
the upper frame 24. Preferably, first receptacles 44, 46 are integrally formed
with first housings 48,
50 of the hub assemblies 28, 30.
(0034] The lower frame 26 preferably includes L-shaped left and right members
52, 54 having
respective forward ends 56, 58 removably connected to second receptacles 60,
62 in any
conventional manner. Preferably, second receptacles 60, 62 (Fig. 3) are
integrally formed with
second housings 64, 66 of the hub assemblies 28, 30. A pivot 68 (Fig. 4)
connects the respective
rearward ends 70, 72 of the left and right members 52, 54. The pivot 68
permits folding of the lower
frame 26 so that the forward ends 56, 58 are adjacent one another. Figs. 5 and
6 illustrate frame 26
of the preferred embodiment in a deployed and folded position. When folded,
ends 56, 58 extend
inwardly of their respective ends 70, 72 and may be positioned adjacent to
each other, as shown in
Fig. 4a, or they may overlap each other. In the folded position, a length
dimension A of the lower
frame 26 may be defined by the distance between bends 112 and 114 of the lower
frame 26.
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Alternatively, length dimension A may be defined by the distance between ends
56, 58, which would
correspond to members 54, 52 overlapping each other when lower frame 26 is
folded. When
deployed, ends 56, 58 extend outwardly from ends 70, 72. The distance between
ends 56, 58 define
a length dimension B which approximates the overall width ofbouncer seat 10
when configured for
use. As will be readily understood by the skilled artisan and which is also
readily apparent from the
examples of the preferred embodiment (e.g., by comparing Figs. 5 and 6), by
providing pivot 68,
there results a significant reduction in overall shipping size, thereby
reducing costs in shipping of the
bouncer seat 10 to an end purchaser. Pivot 68 is preferably formed by
providing receiving holes in
ends 70, 72 and positioning each of the respective holes on top of each other
so as to define a ,
through hole for a fastener. The fastener may correspond to a threaded
fastener with a locking nut, a
pin, a screw in a plastic retainer or any other suitably type of fastener
which permits rotational
motion between members 54 and 52. Preferably, a threaded fastener with a nut
is used. In
operation, lower frame 26 is may be positioned in the folded position (e.g.,
Fig. 5) when packaged.
At the point of purchase, a consumer may then be instructed to rotate lower
frame 26 to the unfolded
position. Once this operation is complete, a consumer may then insert ends 56,
58 into their
respective receptacles 60, 62. Button fasteners, or other similar fasteners,
can secure the forward
ends 56, 58 in the second receptacles 60, 62.
[0035] As mentioned above, the second housings 64, 66 can be coupled to the
first housings 48, 50
to permit the lower frame 26 to pivot relative to the upper frame 24. Figs. 7-
10 illustrate a preferred
embodiment of the assembly of this mechanism which accomplishes this motion.
These figures
show only the left hub assembly 28 with the understanding that the right hub
assembly 30 is a mirror
image.
[0036] The first housing 48 (Figs. 7, 8) includes a first cavity 74 with teeth
76 circumferentially
spaced and extending radially inwardly. The second housing 64 (Figs. 7, 9)
includes a second cavity
78 with teeth 80 circumferentially spaced and extending radially inwardly. The
first and second
cavities 74, 78 contain a gear 82 (Figs. 7, 10) having teeth 84 that are
engageable with the teeth 76,
80 of the first and second housings 48, 64. As shown in Fig. 7, a spring 86
lies between the gear 82
and the second cavity 78 of the second housing 64 to bias the gear 82 toward
the first cavity 74 of
the first housing 48.
[0037] Referring to Fig. 8, the first cavity 74 further includes a semi-
circular wall 88 and three
arcuate slots 90 circumferentially spaced about the first cavity 74. The gear
82 also includes a semi-
circular wall 92 that extends toward the first housing's cavity 74 (see Figs.
7 and 10). The semi-
circular walls 88, 92 have the same height and diametrically oppose one
another to support the gear
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82 in a position in which the gear's teeth 84 simultaneously engage both sets
of teeth 76, 80 in the
first and second housings 48, 64 under the bias of the spring 86. The gear 82
rigidly locks the first
housing 48 relative to the second housing 64 to secure frame assembly 12 in
the upstanding or use
position, Fig. 3, or folded position, Fig. 2.
[0038] Again referring to Fig. 7, a button 94 has three proj ections 96 that
align with a respective
one of the arcuate slots 90 formed in the first cavity 74. These projections
96 extend from outside
the first housing 48 into the first cavity 74 and abut the face 98 of the gear
82. Each projection 96
has a tab 100 formed at its end that snaps into a respective slot 90 to
prevent separation of the button
94 from the first housing 48. Depressing the button 94 displaces the gear 82
into the second cavity
78 and disengages the gear's teeth 84 from the teeth 76 in the first cavity
74. This unlocks the first
and second housings 48, 64 so that the lower frame 26 can pivot relative to
the upper frame 24. The
teeth 76, 80, 84 on each of the first cavity 74, the second cavity 78 and the
gear 82 cooperate to
define a plurality of angular positions of the lower frame 26 relative to the
upper frame 24.
Preferably, this arrangement provides a plurality of positions for the seat
back 38 relative to lower
frame 26, as well as allowing the frame assembly 12 to fold substantially
flat.
[0039] Selectively locking the first and second housings 48, 64 can occur by
other arrangements
such a ratchet and pawl device, a ball and detent mechanism, or a pin
insertable into one of a
plurality of circumferentially spaced holes in one of the housings 48, 64 when
aligned with a similar
one of a plurality of holes in the other of the housings 48, 64.
[0040] Figs. 11 and 12 show enlarged views of the left bend 34 and the
intermediate frame 32 in
the use position (Fig. 11) and the folded position (Fig. 12). The left bend 34
is preferably a
serpentine bend and includes a .first section 102, a second section 104 and a
third section 106. The
ends 108, 110 ofthe intermediate frame 32 wrap around the upper frame 24 by
forming an eyelet in
intermediate frame 32, only the left end 108 is shown in Figs. 9 and 10. The
bend 34 provides a
section of frame which protrudes forwardly relative to the portion of frame
extending above bend 34.
By providing a bend in upper frame 24, a support surface (e.g., section 104)
for intermediate frame
32 may be provided when intermediate frame 32 is cantilevered from upper frame
24 (Fig. 9).
Additionally, outwardly extending bend 32 allows intermediate frame 32 to be
rotated about bend 34
at section 104 so that intermediate section 34 may be laid substantially flat
against upper frame 24
(see Figs. 10 and 2). Preferably, the lower end of bend 40 of upper frame 24
extends outwardly
below bend 34. This extension prevents intermediate section from slipping off
of bend 34. Upper
frame may also be constructed as a three piece frame. For example, the
generally U-shaped seat
back portion 38 may be removable from bends 34, 36 just above section 106 (a
similar connection
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could be provided at bend 36) and securable to bend 34 by a pin or other type
of fastener. This
alternative embodiment could be employed if it is desirable to further reduce
the pacl~aging size of
bouncer seat 10. Other methods .of pivotally attaching the intermediate frame
32 to the upper frame
24 are possible, such as a pin connection between upper frame 24 and
intermediate frame 32, a
housing assembly secured to upper frame 24 which rotatably receives
intermediate frame 32.
Intermediate frame 32 can also include a similarly shaped eyelet which is
positioned to rest against a
bump formed in upper frame 24 to support intermediate frame 32 as a
cantilever.
[0041] In the preferred embodiment, the left end 108 of the intermediate frame
32 contacts the top
of the first section 102 and the bottom of the second section 104 when the
intermediate frame 32 is
in the use position. This contact provides sufficient support for the
intermediate frame 32 to extend
as a cantilever from the upper frame 24. The left end 108 of the intermediate
frame 32 lies along the
third section 106 when the intermediate frame 32 is in the folded position. As
mentioned above, the
offset provided by the bends 34, 36 permits the intermediate frame 32 and
lower frame 26 to lie
substantially flat with respect to the upper frame 24 when the frame assembly
12 is folded (see, e.g.,
Fig. 2). While the preferred embodiment discloses a serpentine bend, other
shapes can be used to
provide the same or similar function (for example, a housing, as mentioned
above). The right bend
36 is identical in shape and function to the left bend 34 and cooperates with
the right end 110 of the
intermediate frame 32.
[0042] The left and right members 52, 54 can be L-shaped with bends 112, 114
formed between
the long and short legs. The bends 112, 114 create an angled clearance between
the support surface
and the lower frame 26 (see, e.g., Fig. 2). This clearance is provided so that
lower frame 26 will flex
during use, thereby providing a bouncing motion. This frame design is
preferred because it
simplifies the design of the hub assemblies 28, 30 (bouncing motion need not
be provided by hub
assemblies 28, 30).
[0043] Other types of frames may be used in place of lower frame 26 without
departing from the
scope of the invention. For example, pivot 68 could be positioned adj acent
one of bends 112, 114
(as opposed to midway between bends 112, 114), thereby providing a lower frame
having a left or
right member essentially rotatably coupled to the other left or right member.
A lower frame may
also be provided which uses two pivots, each located near the respective bends
112, 114. In this
design, .a lower frame having a member extending between the left and right
members would be
pivotal relative to each of a left and right forwardly extending lower frame
member. A folded lower
frame for two pivots would allow left and right members to be positioned
adjacent each other in the
folded position.
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[0044] In an alternative embodiment, lower frame may be positionable between
folded and
deployed positions by employing a coupling that permits ends 70, .72 to be
linearly displaceable (i. e.,
as opposed to rotational displaceable) relative to each other by providing
longitudinally extending
grooves in each of ends 70, 72. In this embodiment, lower frame 26 may be
positionable from the
deployed to folded position by, e.g. loosening a fastener securing ends 70, 72
in the deployed
position and then sliding end 70 relative to end 72 so as to position end 70
of left member 52 closer
to forwaxdly extending portion of right member 54 and end 72 of right member
54 closer to
forwardly extending portion of left member 52. A coupling which permits
sliding of end 70 relative
to end 72 may also permit rotation between ends 70, 72, thereby providing a
more collapsed state for
lower frame 26. In yet another embodiment, a coupling may be provided which
allows members 52,
54 to be folded over each other (e.g., member 52 lies on top of member 54 when
in the folded
position). In yet another embodiment, ends 70, 72 'may be pivotally coupled to
the respective
members 52, 54 and to each other, thereby providing a linkage system between
members 52, 54. In
other embodiments, pivot 68 may be provided adjacent the forwardly extending
portion of member
52 or member 54. Although it is preferred to have each of forward ends 56, 58
removed from
second receptacles 60, 62 when lower frame 26 is positioned in a folded
position, only one of
forward ends 56, 58 need be removed. In yet another embodiment, seat 10 may
provide a lower
frame 26 that is foldable between folded and deployed positions without
removing forward ends 56,
58 from second receptacles 60, 62. In this embodiment, either upper frame 24
may be removable
from first receptacles 44, 46 or upper frame may be foldable so as to permit
folding of the lower
frame 24.
[0045] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various
modifications and variations can be
made in the child bouncer of the present invention without departing from the
spirit or scope of the
invention.
